


chew (bones) & swallow (viscera)

by starwalks (stardusting)



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tokyo Ghoul, Angst, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Cannibalism, Codependency, Ensemble Cast, Families of Choice, Friendship, Gen, Gore, Hurt/Comfort, Italian Mafia, Moral Dilemmas, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, being treated like the actual mafia, it's not good for anyone tbh, of the emotional variety
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-15 05:22:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7209539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardusting/pseuds/starwalks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tsuna is not born a human, this changes things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. peace is now an illusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to write a tokyo ghoul au because I really wanted to write gore and my fave kids struggling so here it is.
> 
>  **Warnings:** Soft cannibalism (as in it's just implied and not outright stated) and brief mentions of blood in a few spots
> 
>  **Edit as of June 16, 2016:** After going through the Daily Life Arc and thinking hard about where I want the first part of this series to go, I realized that I wouldn't be able to take the story as seriously as I would like if I kept Reborn a toddler. As such, I have edited the ending and written him as an adult, but the Arcobaleno Curse is still in effect, it's just a bit skewed to fit the situation. Plus, I'm very into the idea of Reborn being a disgruntled uncle/pseudo dad figure and actually looking the part.

It’s the stomach gnawing and dull pain of hunger that wakes Tsuna up. Similar to how it’s been every other morning lately. He’s used to it in a sense, but not enough to like it. No one can ever get used to spending days at a time hungry.

He curls in on himself, hands placed feebly on his stomach, hoping that sleep will take him once more to ignore the aches. Before he can properly doze off, his alarm sings a shrill and screeching tune from his phone, shattering all and any semblance of silence. He groans loudly into his pillow with only himself to hear it and gropes around the bed for to stop the offending noise. Action completed more so due to muscle memory than actually looking at the screen.

He stays stationary in his position for a few seconds longer, covers now down around his waist, wondering if school is something he can avoid today. It’s the smell of brewing coffee that gets him up in the end, familiar and a little comforting.

Tsuna stands with all the grace of a newly birthed fawn and ignores the way his stomach rolls at his jarring movements. He puts on a clean uniform, though the shirt is wrinkled and tie crooked, he doesn’t much care. If he’s lucky (or unlucky depending), he might not even have to go today. If he does, he’s always dreaded what school brings about, and this morning will be no different in changing how he feels about it.

The thought of it makes his stomach roll again for entirely different reasons this time around. His mother has always wondered about him having anxiety of some form or another, but they both know there are no doctor’s visits outside the bare minimum. He’s not upset about that really, doctors have always made him nervous and nervous feelings tend to subside after a cup of coffee or two. He always has some in the morning; their coffee pot is always going, seems like anyway, so some might be fairly helpful now.

“Good morning, Tsu-kun.” His mother greets, smile on her face kind as always when she spots him from the stairs.

She presses a kiss to his forehead when he sits down at the table and sets a mug of coffee down in front of him. Tsuna drinks it greedily and doesn’t mind how it scalds his tongue and throat on the way down. The burning is gone in a few seconds anyway, so he ignores the look his mother gives him for being so hasty. It isn’t until he’s halfway through his second cup does he feel coherent enough to speak, body feeling much more alert than when he first walked down.

“Morning mom.” He finally greets in return, taking a more subdued sip of his drink before continuing. “Do I _have_ to go to school today?”

Nana purses her lips into a thin line and frowns, concern etched in the way she furrows her brow. Tsuna knows she’s not upset with his question, that’s just the look she tends to make when she’s thinking hard about something, probably weighing the pros and cons of him missing another day. It’ll be the third one this week and the tenth one this month already. Not good for his already poor grades. Everyone just assumes Tsuna is sickly and they both run with that as much as they can, have been since he was little.

“Is it bad today?” She asks and he nods.

“Feels like an eight.” Tsuna specifies, using a scale they perfected over the years for days like these.

It’s a risky number to be at, they both know, but it’s even riskier if people get called over to their house because of Tsuna missing so many days. Nana gets near daily calls about her son skipping like always, so it feels like only a matter of time before someone knocks on her door and questions her parenting. They’ll inspect her house and see that the fridge and cupboards are bare as bones save for a large amount of coffee and then it’s all over. Tsuna either gets taken away, found out about, and killed or they both get killed. Neither of those options are exactly preferred.

Nana takes Tsuna’s already empty cup, refills it again despite the fact that he normally stops at two, and rifles around in the cabinets where he knows they keep a precious store of sugar cubes hidden out of sight just in case visitors get curious. He wants to tell her not to waste one on him, he knows how expensive they are but he also knows she won’t listen. All he can do is gratefully take the coffee and savor every sip, make sure not to waste anything.

“I’m sorry it gets this bad.” She apologizes a lot for things she can’t help, but wishes she can. She smiles brightly though, because there is some good news to share. “Mama was able to save up enough money this month, so I’ll be doing some shopping today. Isn’t that lovely?”

Tsuna sighs relieved at the thought of finally being able to have something in his stomach other than coffee. He doesn’t think it’s fair that the butcher costs so much, but the ghoul population in Namimori is small so there’s only a need for one. With only one person working the business and the few handfuls of ghouls that are in town too afraid to hunt often because they don’t want the definite attention it’ll bring, it means the butcher can make the prices whatever and they’re usually high. He doesn’t do the shopping but he’s seen his mom pour over her work checks and the fake smile she gives when she isn’t able to buy as much as she would have liked. Those are the times when they have to save everything, even the bones. Stock isn’t that filling, but at least it’s something to keep the hunger at bay for a while.

“I don’t see why you just can’t use the money dad gives us. That would make things easier.” He speaks his into his coffee cup and tries to keep the bitterness out of his tone, but he knows it’s still there.

“Papa’s human, Tsu-kun.” He doesn’t have to look up to know his mom’s staring at him, can feel the weight for her gaze though it isn’t scrutinizing. Maybe it’s a little sad; it’s always gets that way when dad is mentioned nowadays. He hasn’t shown up in five years. “I couldn’t use his money to pay for our food.”

He thinks life would be a lot easier if they were human and maybe dad would have bothered to stay around or at least visit more, but there’s no changing anything. Tsuna sighs his feelings out one last time and downs the rest of his coffee to avoid having to say anything else about the topic. Mom gets it though and doesn’t say anything else either, conversation avoided. Iemitsu has always been a sore topic for Tsuna, especially now that he’s older and much more aware of the world around him.

Nana holds him close when he gets ready to leave out the door, whispers into his ear words of safety and caution and their age old rules that he’s been hearing since he was six. He doesn’t mind though since it helps him ignore the sudden clawing feeling of apprehension that strikes him.

Today feels like it’s going to be a bad one.

 

**XXX**

 

An hour later after Tsuna has most definitely failed a pop quiz he knew none of the information for, Nana gets a call from her husband.

It is the first this year and she dreads what’s to come after hanging up.

 

**XXX**

Tsuna leaves school early like he always does on days when they have gym class.

It’s distracting, all those very human bodies and the sweet scents that come from them. A hungry ghoul around people is a very vulnerable ghoul, at risk of accidentally revealing themselves at any given moment. After getting hit with the ball in the face and forced on cleanup duty, he decided that going home would be for the best and maybe by the time he got there, mom would be back from her run with something to eat.

He opens the door and calls out a greeting and there she is. It’s different though, she’s puttering around the kitchen and he can smell a sharp scent of fear from her, though it’s faint. She’s more nervous than anything.

It’s definitely not good either way.

Tsuna enters fully into the house, toes off his shoes, and drops his bag by the door, all slow and careful movements. He doesn’t know what to expect.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” He asks and wonders if he should prepare himself for the worst.

Nana turns around quickly, her low ponytail falling off her shoulders at the movements. Relief overtakes her features when their gazes lock. “I’m so glad you’re here early Tsu-kun.” She sighs, ushers him to sit at the table and places a plate of chopped meat in front of him. “Eat. I have something to tell you.”

“Have you eaten yet?”

“Of course I have don’t worry.”

He nods and takes her word for it, having made an agreement not to lie to each other about eating after an incident a few years ago. He doesn’t waste any time after that, suppresses a groan when the sweet taste of blood hits his tongue. He makes sure to chew thoroughly even though he wants to shove everything in his mouth as quickly as possible.

“What did you want to talk about?” He asks around the fork in his mouth. They stopped using chopsticks for uncooked meat early on, blood and wood don’t mix.

There’s the nervous look on her face again, the one that doesn’t suit her very well. He’s much too used to seeing his mother smiling, not that it’s a bad thing.

She must be reading his thoughts because she forces a smile that almost looks believable, could probably pass if it was anyone else she was looking at. Tsuna isn’t that dumb though. “Well, your father called. He…he hired a home tutor for you.”

Tsuna looks immediately affront at the words, a frown quickly overtaking his features. “What! Why? Yeah my grades are bad, but why does he care?”

“He’s your father Tsu-kun.” Nana tries her best placates, pats gently at Tsuna’s free hand that rests on the table. “He said it was a personal pick by his boss even. You remember him don’t you? Apparently everything will be fine as far as payments go, we just have to provide a room and meals.”

“Mom, we can’t take in a human. We don’t even have human food in the house. We only get that when dad’s around and he hasn’t been home in years.” He can feel the panic rising in his tone. This might not be the worst situation, but it’s definitely in the top five, something he didn’t even consider in first place.

“I know dear,” Nana's tone takes on a soothing connotation. “that’s why I went out and bought some. Tsu-kun, I know this will be hard and you might have to bear through a few human meals, but I still have food for us. It’s in a cooler in my room and we’re just going to have to be careful, and maybe this will only last for a few months until you get your grades up.”

Tsuna sighs, shoves another piece of meat in his mouth to give himself time to think. He doesn’t trust himself not to insult his father right now, only holding back because his mom always looks upset when he does. Not the angry upset either, or the _I’m disappointed in you_ kind, but the kind of upset that’s sad because things aren’t better like she wants them to be.

“When’s the tutor coming over?” He asks just to get off the topic of his father.

“Sometime today apparently. Private jets go pretty fast I hear.”

Great, he definitely won’t get to relax at all today seems like. “Are you sure there’s no way out of this?”

“I asked. Iemitsu’s boss was quite adamant about this apparently.”

Tsuna sighs and decides to finish off his meal. It’s great to know that his dad worries more about his job than the safety of his family. Really, how does he expect this to go? If something bad happens, at least Tsuna knows who to blame for all this.

Just as he finishes the last bit of food off his plate, satisfied that his stomach is at least sated, the doorbell rings. His mom immediately moves up from her seat and Tsuna washes off the plate and fork in a hurry, double checking the kitchen for any overt evidence of what they really are.

They stand next to each other when she pulls open the door and Tsuna does not try to hide the tenseness in his shoulders when he sees who is standing at their doorstop. On principle he is wary of people in finely pressed suits. Mom says that’s one of the ways she was taught to identify a Dove, a nice suit and body leaking confidence. She said it isn’t fool proof method, but any sort of precaution is a must.

He assumes a Dove wouldn’t wear a bright yellow shirt or wear a fedora, but Tsuna’s never met a Dove before. Dad wouldn't be stupid enough to let one come in their house despite allowing a human house with them for an indefinite amount of time; he has to give him that much of the benefit of the doubt.

Mom snaps out of the daze first, puts on a smile to be polite, and opens the door a little wider. “You must be the home tutor.”

The man smiles back, more like smirks like he knows a secret, and speaks in a steady voice. “My name is Reborn, it’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say since this is just the start. This story is gonna have a lot of focus on character development and relationships and things are gonna turn out differently in canon, hopefully enough to keep this interesting for you guys. So thanks for reading this and I hope y'all stick with me for however long this thing lasts. 
> 
> Also forest by twenty one pilots is very much one of the theme songs for this series.
> 
> I have a [tumblr](http://fromrainbows.tumblr.com/) set up to talk about this fic


	2. house of secret keepers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for feedback on this story so far! I wasn't expecting so many kudos and bookmarks and reviews to be honest. It's such a pleasant surprise, I am really grateful!
> 
> As you can tell this chapter is way longer than the first one, because I have decided to challenge myself as a writer and make chapters between 6k-8k words long. There's just so much relationship building I want to put in this story and short 3k word chapters won't cut it for me!! Hopefully y'all won't mind a bit of extra reading, this chapter was really fun to write too. 
> 
> I'll go back and rewrite chapter 1 to fit the structure of the story at some point. I've written some scenes to be added to it, but it's an on and off process. I at least want to get it up to 4k words. You know, give it some meat. 
> 
> **Warnings:** Mentions of throwing up, brief mention of blood, briefly implied cannibalism, guns and using said guns on a minor. A pretty tamed chapter if I do say so myself.

Sawada Tsunayoshi does not believe his life is an easy one to live. This has been the case from when he first started attending daycare up until now when he's finally in middle school. It's not to say he's being dramatic when he admits this, because he technically is, but neither does he overdramatize facts about his life.

It truly is a hard life to live in comparison to others, but manageable all at the same time if not just barely. He believes he laments about the hardships rightfully for a boy only thirteen years of age.

There's something about him that has always drawn in bad luck and ill tidings, an occurrence he always found odd since he's rather plain appearance wise and tries hard not to draw attention to himself in public. He blames his innate clumsiness that never went away from when he was younger for drawing the unwanted attention to himself in the first place, and then he blames his inadvertent habit of squeaking when alarmed and making other odd noises, something that seemed to interest the cruelest of people his age.

It was a game the bullies took to playing when he was younger, seeing how far they could push him with words or actions until he started crying. Luckily, Tsuna had stopped crying at the bullying sometime during primary school, when he realized this was his fate. He finds it hard to remember a time when he wasn't picked at while attending school, so decided he couldn’t go his entire life spilling tears over people’s harsh words and cruel actions.

Instead, he just runs and avoids and hopes for the best, finding it much each easier to do so than allowing any sort of confrontation to happen in the first place. If he does get caught, the best outcome to the situation is usually when there is just one or two kids insulting him and landing a few blows if they so choose. They like to bring his poor grades into the equation from time to time as well and act like they aren't failing the same classes alongside him, which Tsuna finds ridiculous but never admits out loud. He guesses the difference between them and him is the fact that the teachers like to call out his terrible grades to the class and its entirety, something he feels like isn't allowed, but what does he know about what a teacher can and can’t do.

Over the years, Tsuna has learned how to keep secrets because that is his life. It’s his life to keep secrets and know his breaking point for the safety of others and himself, but mostly himself in the end. His mother knows of his abuse and how sometimes bullies might follow him when school ends just to scare him. She used to call often, speak with the parents and demand apologies and promises so things like that wouldn’t happen again. It worked for maybe month in the third grade until it just didn't anymore, until something about Tsuna once again drew the bullies to him.

Now, he no longer goes straight home if he chooses to spend all day at school. If he does get injured, bruises have always been a quick heal, broken blood vessels mending in just seconds if they aren’t too bad. Though, he has not actually been injured or bruised by just fists and kicks for a while now. Nowadays he just feigns injury for the sake of keeping the bullies away for a few days, pretending to clutch his ribs in pain or wincing on the occasion is a small price to pay for a short time of peace.

Tsuna truthfully blames his bad luck on the fact that he is not fully human, though he has spent his thirteen years having never revealed that piece of information to anyone. It's easier to keep a life or death secret when he doesn't have friends and no one is interested in getting to know him in the first place. That much he is thankful for, but he sometimes feels as though his mixed bloodline makes him an automatic target by default. Bullies always pick the odd ones out and Tsuna has to be the oddest one in Namimori by far.

Being a ghoul is a tragic affair in and of itself, that is if you're a ghoul who does not easily benefit from society. There's a clear difference in ghouls that have money and protection, ones that actually enjoy pretending to be human and hunting, and ones that are just trying to live life. Tsuna and his mother are the third kind and life seems to be just barely manageable.

He constantly feels himself teetering on an edge because of school and its stressors and the stressors that come naturally with being a ghoul. Teachers think he tends to skip because he's a useless student that doesn't care about his grades, and that is true to a degree, he won't deny that fact. But it's also because control is a delicate thing and Tsuna does not want to out himself and his mom one day because someone decided to push him too far when his control is threadbare and fraying. Only other ghouls know that their kind resides in the sleepy little town of Namimori and all of them prefer to keep it that way.

Home is a safe haven though. Home is where he can complain to his mom and not have to worry about keeping his kagune and kakugan hidden. Home is where they can eat what they want and don't have to lie and pretend to be something they're not for the sake of staying alive.

Home _was_ safe that is. Home was safe until Tsuna’s no-show of a father decided to stick his nose back into their lives and hire a tutor to live with them.

Home was safe until it suddenly wasn't.

**XXX**

Tsuna tries not to stare at the man claiming to be his tutor; something about the stranger doesn't ring correctly with the occupation. However, if he works for the same employer as his dad, then Tsuna wouldn't be surprised if there were a few lies being told. He doesn't get why his mom decides to go along with the road work tale his dad likes to tell. It's honestly the most ridiculous thing the man could come up with, but mom doesn't complain about it's probably because they have money for the house and clothes and bills.

The Sawada household is full of liars, but Tsuna sees no point in lying to each other about things.

His mom is kind to the man despite both of them being extremely unnerved by his presence and the danger it might bring, _will_ bring honestly. She offers him coffee and brews the most expensive brand they have, the one they like to save for special occasions and holidays. Tsuna would be upset just at that action alone if she didn't make enough for him, but she does and it helps calm his nerves some.

They talk about things over their drinks while Tsuna just sits and doesn't really listen, it's adult things so they're boring topics overall, like money and getting their new house guest furniture for the room he’ll be staying in. She even asks him what some of his favorite dishes are so she can try her hand at making them from time to time, even giving a smile and a promise to try her best.

Tsuna's stomach heaves slightly at the thought of having the smell of cooking human food permeating the house three times a day and the fact that he'll have to pretend to enjoy it. Being half human doesn't help anything if he still has to live life the same way a full blooded ghoul does. Sure, he can stomach that type of food longer than his mom can depending on what it is, but the effects are still the same and he ends up throwing it back up sooner rather than later. He doesn't know exactly what sort of benefits come from his human blood since his very human father is rarely around to talk about it.

He'll have to sleep with a window open tonight to filter out the smell, hopefully nothing too heavy gets cook and lingers for long. Maybe he can even weasel out of eating dinner tonight all together. He doesn't want to throw up the unwanted food along with the first real meat he's eaten in weeks, it’d be a waste. But it isn't like he can skip out on eating every meal in his own home. It’s not the same as how he tends to disappear during lunch time at school, because no one there actually cares what he does and where he goes. All of this is really troublesome and -

"Tsu-kun!" There's his mom looking amused, elbows resting on the table and a finger tapping on her mug as she waits for his attention.

He flushes involuntarily, accidentally making eye contact with Reborn when he tries to avoid his mom's gaze. The man just looks as amused as her if not more so, and Tsuna feels like he’s being ganged up on. He feels himself fidgeting from nerves and grips his hands tight in his lap to still them. He might never get used to having another person in the house like this.

"Yes?"

"If you're done with your coffee, I need you to take Reborn-san up to the guest room closest to your room. I figured you two need some time to get to know each other. I’ll start cooking dinner while you two chat."

The last thing Tsuna wants to do is get to know this guy, but he complies with the task just for the sake of getting it over with. The trip to the room shouldn't be too long but it feels like ages with Reborn following close behind and the weight of his gaze on Tsuna's shoulders. Tsuna manages to point out the bathroom when they pass it and by some sort of miracle, he doesn't trip up the stairs or his own two feet during their walk to the room.

"And h-here's where you'll be sleeping." He says and opens the door after fumbling with the knob a few times.

Mom likes to keep the rooms clean if only because she's home a lot and doesn't have anything else to do on days off, so this room is free of dust and the window is open to air out the stale smell that clings still to it. It's bare save for the bed in the corner that has a clean set of bedding already made up on it. It looks bigger without anything in it and particularly plain, but Reborn doesn't look like the type to be really into excessive decor.

"So Sawada-kun, tell me about yourself."

The flinch is automatic, a byproduct of not being used to someone's direct attention like this, as in no scathing remarks and threats of getting hit. Reborn is rightfully intimidating too, with his height and everything about him really. Tsuna is surprised he hasn’t been made fun of yet.

"Tsuna's fine or Tsunayoshi, but that’s a mouthful." Nobody that speaks to him calls him by his surname and only teachers bother to use honorifics probably more so due to obligation than anything. "My dad didn't tell you anything about me?"

Tsuna tries not to sound bitter but he probably does because Reborn looks amused again. He can't even pretend to like the man at this point, not even to a stranger.

"Of course he did," Reborn shrugs and somehow makes it look like he was made for dismissive gestures. "but I want to hear it from you directly. Secondary sources are good and all, however, primary sources are much more reliable."

"People call me Dame-Tsuna. No good. Useless. Things like that." Is all he can think about himself after a few seconds of mulling it over. It's what he's known best for, infamous since primary and probably for the rest of his life at this rate. He doesn’t plan on going to high school, so yeah, the rest of his life.

"Is that true?" Reborn looks a little interested but Tsuna has a feeling he already knows the answer. He's here as a tutor for a reason.

Tsuna nods reluctantly and sighs because thinking about how far his failings reach is mentally and emotionally exhausting, explaining them will just be even more so. "Of course, I mean I'm barely passing my classes and I suck at sports and I'm clumsy. Everyone probably thinks I'm the worst student in the school."

"We’ll just have to change that then." The tutor smiles, closed mouthed but it looks a little welcoming and just a bit friendly.

Tsuna almost gets a little bit hopeful at the words because it is a nice thought, actually doing well at something, but he remembers his position. He can't let his guard down, has to be more careful than ever before to ensure his and mom’s secret is properly kept. Reborn probably only cares about getting paid in the end and the free food and having a roof over his head are nice bonuses.

Tsuna's seen it on the news, promises of decent sums of money to whoever leads the Doves to a ghoul; it's scary to think that might be the case for him if he slips up. He doesn't want that to happen and if it means some discomfort, then he's willing to take it.

"If...if that's all I'm going to be in my room." He says and begins to edge towards the door. "I'll be down for dinner." _Maybe._

Reborn doesn't say anything, tips his head into a nod and that's all the dismissal Tsuna needs. He's out of the door quick enough to stumble but not fall and tries not to gag at the smell of what's being cooked down in the kitchen. He doesn't know how his mom can handle it, but she did say that she lied her way through high school and up until she got engaged, she's probably used to it by now. Tsuna can only send her best wishes from his place up the stairs because he's going to hole himself in his room and either nap or stick his head out the window.

He ends up sleeping with his window open and is glad ghouls don’t get as sick easily as humans do.

**XXX**

Tsunayoshi does not come down from dinner when his mother calls for him to which a solemn _blink and you'd miss it_ look passes on Nana's face before she let's out an universal sigh known to all mothers and serves just the two of them.

This is how Reborn learns that his charge has odd sleeping patterns which more than likely aid in his poor grades. Nothing good comes from a kid who naps all day after school and is up all night obviously not doing homework, a repeated cycle he has no wish to fix. Nana doesn't seem to mind it though, but then again, she has the air and disposition of an unbothered housewife. Reborn has been around long enough to know what to expect from women like Sawada Nana. He’s learned that the ones who seem the most docile end up being the most dangerous, intelligent and cunning in ways that no one would think possible.

Either way, everything Iemitsu reported about his family checks out so far. His wife is just a simple housewife, though apparently she does occasionally help out at the retirement home, usually when Tsunayoshi is in school. Her son is just a plain looking kid that needs a lot of work. Iemitsu's family is boringly civilian but then again, that might prove to be an interesting enough challenge to work with.

Reborn has always liked a challenge.

If Tsunayoshi had not eaten dinner at some point during the night, then neither does he bother with breakfast the following morning. Rather he comes down the stairs (falls down them really and his mother doesn't even bat an eyelid at the noise he makes) half asleep and downs a cup and a half of coffee before he registers the fact that Reborn has been sitting right next to him the entire time. Honestly, the he would laugh if he wasn't so appalled at the kid's lack of awareness to his surroundings.

It's a good thing that Iemitsu's family is so far off the radar; it wouldn't take anything for another Hitman to kill the kid or for another family to take him hostage. Reborn is definitely going to have to work on that before word gets around about him.

"Tsu-kun, do you think you can show Reborn-san to your school? He said he had some paperwork to pick up for your tutoring."

Nana, despite seeming like the type to make a bento for her kid, is not doing so, just sips her own coffee while looking through a cookbook. Maybe he buys lunch from the school, they definitely would have enough money with how much Iemitsu makes.

"Sure." The teen says it like he would rather do anything else but what was just asked of him. The look on his face doesn't help either; with that scrunched up nose and how he frowns into his cup like it offended him.

It looks completely non-threatening and almost adorable on his face.

Reborn has to ask though, because time is passing and the kid has barely moved an inch. "Doesn't school start soon?"

Tsunayoshi just shrugs like he doesn't care about being timely, and he probably doesn't, continues to nurse his coffee the same way the _capos_ do before they have to start their day. All tired and already expecting the it to be a long and difficult one, he even yawns wide mouthed and looks ready to fall back asleep.

If Reborn was a lesser man, he would have rolled his eyes. He isn't though, so he actually doesn't put up with whatever this kid is doing right now which is a whole lot of nothing.

"Tsunayoshi," Reborn uses a tone that snaps attention right towards him, the kid rightfully looks wary. "lesson one will be actually getting you to school on time for once. You might not care but that's why I'm here, to change that. Now finish your coffee and let's go."

A few emotions pass on the boy's face but overall, he looks ready to complain but thinks better of it last minute. Instead, Tsunayoshi downs the rest of his coffee no problem, which is odd since it should still be hot, but maybe he's used to it. Reborn doesn't think he even saw juice in the fridge, just bottled waters and food. There's a cupboard packed with various coffees and it must be Iemitsu's influence despite the fact that he’s barely around.

Both of them are up and out of the door less than a minute later, but not before Tsunayoshi says bye to his mother and lets her kiss his cheek. He doesn't look embarrassed like most boys his age might.

"So, uh, what's with the lizard?" Tsunayoshi asks, wide eyed and confused once they're a block away from the house.

"Leon's a chameleon." Said chameleon only flicks its tail in response, continues dozing on Reborn's shoulder because it's June and the sun must feel nice. "He is my companion."

He does that nose scrunch thing again at the answer. The kid is all scrunched noses, wide eyes, and fluffy hair, not intimidating at all… _yet_.

"So your pet? Does he have like a tank?"

"Fishes have tanks, reptiles have terrariums, and no he doesn't." Though getting one wouldn't be a bad idea for when the rainy season hits or when it actually starts to snow around here. This isn't the Mediterranean after all and Leon is still a reptile, magical properties aside. "And he's a companion, not a pet."

Tsunayoshi just mouths _okay_ and doesn't look all too convinced, eyebrow raised and everything. Before Reborn can actually say something about it, the boy’s attention snaps elsewhere suddenly. Suddenly enough that even Reborn is caught off guard, though he's skilled enough not to show it. Both of them relax though when a girl wearing the Namimori middle uniform jogs over to them.

"Sawada-kun, I didn't know you lived so close by." She looks genuinely happy to learn that bit of information.

Tsunayoshi in turn, looks uncomfortable with the attention, too afraid to make and keep eye contact longer than a couple seconds. The girl patiently waits out his fidgeting until he can choke out an answer for her.

"Oh...well...y-yeah? I just...I guess we never leave around the same time. I n-needed to show Reborn-san to the school and h-he wanted to get there early."

"That's so nice of you." She says it like she means it, giving the fidgeting mass of fluff and insecurity a smile before turning her attention to Reborn.

"I'm Sasagawa Kyouko. It's nice to meet you." She punctuated her words with a bow, straightening up before speaking again. "I'm a classmate of Sawada-kun's."

Reborn, because he _is_ polite, tips his hat off and bows as well. "The pleasure is mine." He decidedly keeps the fedora in hand while speaking once he stands back to his full height. It’s amusing to see the tiny kids have to bend their heads back to look at him. "I was just recently hired as Tsunayoshi's tutor, so it's nice to meet a classmate of his."

Sasagawa looks downright enthralled by the new information, claps her hands once, and somehow manages a brighter smile. "You're so lucky Sawada-kun! I’m happy for you! Well I have to get going since I promised Hana-chan I'd meet up with her before school started, so I'll see you in class?"

The boy can only manage a nod and even that looks stiff and awkward. Kyouko doesn't seem to notice or mind because she's off with another smile and a wave.

"So do you like her?” Reborn can’t help but asking, he needs to know these things. “You were barely able to speak a decent sentence to her."

Tsunayoshi look alarmed at the question, cheeks quickly burning red.

"No? Yes...I m-mean no! I don't like her as in _I want to date her_." He shakes his head so furiously enough it's a wonder he isn't light headed once he stops. "She's the school idol though, so that means she's nice to everyone and..."

"And that everyone’s includes you?."

He flinches then, thin shoulders drawn up like he wants to hide. "Yeah, but that's like the first time she's spoken to me all year, so she was probably just being polite but..."

"But what, kid?" Reborn has little interest in teen gossip, but he is trying to get Tsunayoshi to talk more, to stop retreating into himself when someone besides his mom gives him direct attention. Talking is one of the few ways Reborn knows how to deal with that.

"Well, I don't know why _you're_ interested in this, but there's a guy that wants to date her, and don't look at me like _that_! I'm not jealous." He huffs, cheeks puffed like he's offended, or maybe he's trying to frown. "Anyways, the guy that’s interested in her is an upperclassman and he's just a jerk and I've heard the way he talks about girls it's...uncomfortable. I don't think she deserves that. He'd be the type to gloat and over exaggerate."

Reborn nods, truly understanding where he's coming from at this point. He's someone that's being raised pretty much single handedly by his mother; of course he'd be sensitive to that kind of stuff. It's not a bad thing; it's an excellent thing really, to know he has that type of respect for women in general. There aren't a lot of people in the mafia like that anymore, that's why human trafficking is becoming a bigger thing nowadays. More families are leaning towards it despite the fact that it automatically bans them from Mafia Land. It's concerning and disgusting how far some humans will go for money and power, even the mafia should have some morals.

"You should tell her then." Reborn says, rests a hand on the boy's tiny shoulder and leans close.

Tsunayoshi looks predictably alarmed by the suggestion or the sudden contact, Reborn isn’t sure which. "I c-couldn't! She'd have no reason to believe me!"

"You won't know until you try. You know, do it with a dying will."

He straightens up after the words are spoken, hand still on the boy's shoulder when he makes them face each other.

It's still there when he reaches and pulls the gun out from its hiding place where been in since before breakfast.

Still there when he presses the barrel against Tsunayoshi's forehead and watches those wide brown eyes look at him with fear and betrayal and confusion all at once.

The hand drops though, drops as soon as the boy's small body falls after Reborn flicks the safety off and pulls the trigger.

These are the things that happen in quick succession with one another.

Sawada Tsunayoshi dies with blood trailing down his forehead.

Sawada Tsunayoshi dies and is reborn after shedding his skin along with most of his clothes.

Sawada Tsunayoshi dies and is reborn with a small orange flame flickering where the bullet pierced his skull.

Sawada Tsunayoshi dies and is reborn with a feral look on his face with an eye that shines black like ink and a _codaros_ that erupts from his skin the same time he lets out a guttural yell.

Sawada Tsunayoshi dies and that is when Reborn realizes this boy is not a human.

Reborn quickly decides that he has never been more relieved about the fact that the Sawadas live in a quiet neighborhood and no one is nosy around here. It makes it a whole lot easier to wrangle the not quite human teen into submission via a chain formed from Leon.

Tsunayoshi is not a strong ghoul, probably due to his age and small size in general. He’s easily stronger than kids his age however, and maybe some adults, but Reborn is trained and has a stronger and surer grip. He is a lot calmer than the very determined teen shouting about telling Sasagawa Kyouko not to date some guy named Mochida, and that makes a world of a difference.

"Stay down, Tsunayoshi." He hisses and wonders why the hell Iemitsu decided to keep this a secret from him.

It takes a few more seconds of wrangling before Reborn can get a firm enough tug that sends Tsunayoshi to the ground. He doesn’t like the fact that he has to plant his foot on the boy’s head to keep him from moving it around so much, but it's a necessary and the boy heals fast anyway, should technically. Really, he just wanted a laugh out of shooting the first Dying Will Bullet, not this mess and a half.

Probably only less than a minute has passed since the first bullet went in, but Reborn doesn't have time to waste by now because the kid refuses to keep quiet and Leon is getting tired. There is no hesitation when he once again shoots his charge right where the first bullet went through because Reborn is a hitman and as such he can never risk hesitating.

Tsunayoshi stills as soon as the flames it their mark, wide eyed and teeth bared but the sun flames should be activating his already quick healing process _and_ there it is. He sneezes out the Dying Will bullet and readily passes out not a second later.

After a five second lull, just to be safe, Leon changes back and takes up the favorite spot on the brim of Reborn's hat. The chameleon deserves it honestly at this point.

Reborn, though annoyed, realizes the emotions are mostly directed towards Iemitsu, who did not thoroughly do his job, and now Reborn has to work around this sudden development last minute. Tsunayoshi caught him off guard and probably could have injured him if he felt inclined to do so. Reborn is lucky that he comes prepared for all occasions, though nothing could have prepared him for this really.

Now he has some important calls to make.

**XXX**

Tsuna wakes up on the back porch of a house that's been on sale for as long as he can remember with a splitting headache and spare uniform at his side.

His memory is blurry, though he recalls the phantom feeling of the cold barrel of a gun against his head and looking Reborn dead in the eyes when he pulled the trigger.

He shakes, cold despite the sunlight and hates himself for thinking just for a second that he could trust someone like that. He _should_ have known better.

Reborn probably knows now, definitely knows now, because no one could survive a point blank shot to the head like that and bullets don't even pierce ghouls' skin. Tsuna probably had just a bruise that quickly healed over from something that close.

He has to get home to make sure his mom is okay and maybe run now, definitely run. He isn’t sure where they could run to, but Namimori probably isn’t safe for them any longer.

But there's a note that falls from the folds of his shirt when he goes to put it on and it makes him hesitate.

 _Go to school and we'll talk when you get home._ It says in a penmanship he doesn’t recognize but knows it belongs to Reborn.

He follows the instructions despite all the fear in his heart and readies himself for the worst when he gets home and walks through the door.

**XXX**

Reborn gets a knock on the bedroom door ten minutes after he knows Tsunayoshi is back from school. There the boy is when he opens it, clad in casual clothes with a determined look on his face that would be more convincing if his hands weren't shaking so much.

He opens the door wider to allow entry. "How was school?"

"Manageable," Tsunayoshi answers warily and enters the room with caution. "I got bullied, but what else is new?"

That's something they need to work on too, the getting bullied at school so often. It has to do with his meek appearance coupled with his sky flames attracting all the wrong sorts. Can't kill the harmonizing factor, but they can work on how he holds himself which in turn will make people want to follow him instead of beat him up. It worked on Dino and Tsunayoshi is more Dino than Reborn was expecting, maybe worse in some cases and better in others, but that's the civilian lifestyle in him. That's going to change too.

"Wh-what did you want to talk about?” Tsunayoshi is fidgeting again, they might have to work on getting rid of that too if it isn’t a byproduct of ghouls having sharpened senses and the added factor that Tsunayoshi might be experiencing effects of Hyper Intuition here and there. Helping a kid get through sensory overload isn't an impossible thing. “What happened to me this morning?"

"Oh, I shot you." His nonchalant answer makes Tsunayoshi jump and it's funny to see his wide eyes get wider. "With a special bullet that isn't supposed to kill you...usually."

"But-" Tsunayoshi cuts himself off, bites his lip, and looks away again. Nobody wants to admit the sort of secret he's carrying.

"Regular bullets can't pierce a ghoul's skin?"

Now there's fear in those wide eyes and his shoulders bunch up like he's bristling. Reborn, contrary to popular belief, does have some tact and holds his hands out in front of himself slowly. _I mean no harm_ the gesture says and it's enough to ease some of the tension out of those small shoulders.

Tsunayoshi nods at him, so Reborn continues. "They're special bullets designed by one of your ancestors actually. If you get shot with it and have a regret, then you’ll come back to fulfill it. In return all your safety switches get turned off and for ghouls I guess when that happens, all your ghoul parts are on display."

That, oddly enough, gets a small laugh out of the boy. “Don’t say it like that, it sounds all gross. So you didn’t know I was a ghoul before this?”

“No, your dad failed to mention that actually. The bullet’s never been tested on ghouls before. I wouldn’t have done it if I knew the effects of what would happen.”

“I’m half anyway. Dad probably thought it would be okay since a Sawada made it.” Tsunayoshi shrugs, though he doesn’t look too convinced by his own words. “What’s an ancestor of mine doing designing bullets anyway?”

“I was getting to that. Also, sit down, I’m tired of standing. Have you heard of Sawada Ieyasu?”

Tsunayoshi pouts but complies anyway, sitting down on the bed with some hesitation. "Grandma might have mentioned him to me once or twice. What does he have to do with this?"

Reborn sits too, though he knows well enough to give them a good bit of distance, politely far away, but not too far. "Well, his name was actually Giotto and he was from Italy and moved here at some point. Your grandmother ever tell you what he did?"

He bothers to give it some thought before shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "Not when he was in Italy, no."

"He founded the Vongola,” As a tutor, Reborn knew Tsunayoshi probably wouldn’t know this information off the top of his head, though he isn’t sure if it’s common knowledge to other Sawadas. He needs to find a way to look into that. “which was and still is the strongest mafia family in Italy.”

"Cool I guess." His body language isn’t as tense at this point and his gaze has gone from wary to a mix of unsure and curious. It’s progress. "Why does that matter?"

"Because Tsunayoshi, that makes you a direct line to inherit the Vongola and sadly, the family is fresh out of heirs."

"What?" He actually squeaks, Reborn thought Iemitsu was exaggerating when he added that in, but guess not. "What happened to the others?"

"Dead or illegible for succession, which leaves you and have you figured out why I'm here?"

"You're here to tutor me, because my dad asked you, because-" the face of realization Tsunayoshi makes when he finally pieces it together looks a lot like he just swallowed a lemon. Reborn is greatly amused and glad he’s the one relaying all this information to the kid at least.

"Because I'm here to make you into the next boss of the Vongola."

"Don’t I get a say in this? Besides...won't my other heritage make it trickier? Ghouls aren’t the most widely accepting species out there."

"The fact that that you aren't as fully human as I was originally led to believe will cause some difficulties, but they can be worked around, _will_ be worked around actually. So no, you really don't get a choice at this point."

"That!” His brows furrow, like he’s trying to wrap his head around all this information at once. “That isn't fair!"

"You will learn Tsunayoshi, that life isn't fair to our kind." They all learn sooner or later, not matter how young they start out and they always seem to start out too young.

"You mean the mafia?" He’s wary all over again and rightfully so, Reborn is glad he doesn’t seem quick to completely trust people.

"Exactly, we’ll make something out of you yet."

"Okay,” Tsunayoshi sighs like he’s accepted his fate, but it’s never that easy starting off. “we have to tell my mom about this though."

Well, Reborn wasn’t expecting that as a request. Most kids would probably want to keep this a secret from their parents. Parental involvement is a major roadblock when it comes to the more dangerous things and the mafia is the most one of the most dangerous occupations there is.

“No.”

"What? Why not?"

"You're father specifically requested to keep your mother in the dark about this to protect her. That’s why you were in the dark for so long actually, no one expected three heirs to die and then one to not be able to take over. You were a last resort."

"My father," Tsunayoshi suddenly does not look as meek and docile as he did before. It is an interesting change to see those eyes turn to steel in less than a few seconds. "has not been home in years. And yet he decides to start meddling in my life and change it so some people halfway across the world can benefit from the fact that I’m distantly related to someone and I apparently don’t even get a choice in my future anymore. If...if I have to change my life from the ground up, then my mom has every right to know she might be affected from this now that her family is involved in the mafia of all things."

He seems to catch up with his emotions, settles down and looks at his hands tightly gripped in his lap. Back to docile but his words are firm. “It only takes one person seeing me do something out of the ordinary and having some suspicion that I’m a ghoul and calling the Doves. One call and we’re dead because there’s no lying to them, only running or dying. I need my mom to be protected and ready and she can’t be either of those things if she doesn’t know what’s going on.”

Reborn nods, because really, he can’t deny the kid after admitting to all that. God, what did Iemitsu leave him with? “Okay, we’ll tell her in the morning, but I have to let your dad _and_ my boss know that she'll be informed. It’ll give her extra protection, I promise.”

Tsunayoshi looks tired and relieved all at once, wide eyes shining and it’s a wonder he hasn’t cried yet. He looks like the type that would cry easily, emotional and soft hearted.  

There was a fire burning in that gaze though, the same look Iemitsu gets when he's serious and it’s the same one Giotto was famed for. It's a look of someone born to lead and be followed and never be betrayed.

That is the pure blood of the Vongola shining through and Reborn has never been more interested in a new job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, when Reborn references a _codaros_ , that is actually me fucking around with languages and meshing together _coda rossa_ which should be italian for red tail. It just means Tsuna has a bikaku, but Reborn is using the terminology he's familiar with. If I do have readers of this story that know Italian and wouldn't mind helping coming up with other terms to use for other ghoul parts, the I'd really appreciate the help!
> 
> I was listening to purity ring while writing most of this chapter if anyone is interested in that fact, but I can't think of a song to fit the chapter as a whole. 
> 
> That's all I have to say besides giving a big thank you for reading this and please leave a review and tell me what you think about how things are so far. Don't be afraid to ask questions if you have any!


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